Masked Identity
by Konnichiwa Minna
Summary: Sort of a sequel to Challenges! Tragedy occurs. Can Mikan comfort Natsume when he needs it most? Can Natsume figure out what's going on? What's the mystery to his time skip? Yeah... I suck at summaries, so R&R, please! NxM! Discontinued
1. I: Bloody Mess

**Author's Notes: **Okay, this is sort of like a sequel to my other story, but you don't really need to read that to understand this one. Although, there are a couple references to that story in this fic. Anyway, originally this was going to be a separate fic, but because BlackFlameLady seemed interested in a sequel, I am combining this fic with the idea of the masks.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this fic. It will be my first multi-chaptered. Oh, and by the way, this is just to see the reactions of readers. To see whether I should continue. But I probably will continue, regardless of whether people want me to or not. This is because I can't stand not finishing something that I start. So rest assured, this fic will be completed. Although, just because I finish it, doesn't mean I'll post it if no one is interested. So review, if you want to read the rest of my story. I've already finished writing the next three chapters. I'll update the next chapter either next week, or once I hit five reviews.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gakuen Alice. I do not own the base ideas of this fic. I will reveal where I got my ideas later. For now, please enjoy the fic.

Without further ado, I present to you "Masked Identity."

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**-Masked Identity-**

**Chapter I: Bloody Mess**

**By: Konnichiwa Minna**

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I stared up at the midnight sky. It was tiring. I needed to hurry up and finish the mission before I completely ran out of energy.

It seems luck wasn't on my side.

Swiftly, enemies surrounded me.

I began burning them and fighting them, despite my fatigue.

Out of the corner of my eye I spotted him. Ruka. What the hell was he doing here?

As my eyes travelled I noticed a gun. And someone holding it. Pointing it right at Ruka. Bastard.

As quickly as possible, I jumped over to Ruka and jumped infront of the bullet that had just come out of the gun.

I missed.

The bullet pierced Ruka's heart.

I watched him fall. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Fire burned with in me. Suddenly, I felt myself going crazy.

My surroundings became a living hell, as I set fire everywhere. Flames engulfed the environment. I took a deep breath.

"FUCK YOU!" I shouted with all my might. I would kill them. They would pay.

Soon, everything was a bloody mess, and I fell unconscious.

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**Author's Notes: **Ahh, I'm sorry it's so short! I couldn't help it! I had to end it there, otherwise it wouldn't really flow properly. Sorry! I know this chapter isn't much help for determining whether you like it, but please bear with me for now. Thanks for reading. Next chapter is way longer. 2558 words total to be exact. So, hopefully next chapter will make up for this short one. Anyway, because next chapter took a long time to write, I'm hoping for five reviews. Is that too much to ask? I hope not. See you next chapter!

Oh yeah, forgive me for OOCness. There is a reason for it. But I can't tell you right now.

Reviews, please?

_Konnichiwa Minna_


	2. Ideas, please!

**Author's Notes: **People, this is important!!! Please take the time to read this!

I r_eally_ need ideas for things that can happen on a date and places to go for a date! You see, a couple chapters later, there is a date scene! I want to make it fresh and not too cliché.

So, I need ideas ASAP! Because I have to COMPLETE the story by Thursday, because my family comes home that day, and I will basically be unable to use the computer to type this story because my brother and sisters will be using it!

So, submit your ideas as quick as possible!

Thanks for reading this!

_Konnichiwa Minna_

P.S. The next chapter will probably be posted next week. I'm not posting my story all at once, because I do want reviews. So, review! And send me ideas, please!!!

P.S.S. Sorry this isn't the next chapter! Hope I didn't disappoint anyone! In fact, here's a small preview of next chapter:

**_Preview:_**

_She looked up at me and smiled. I could tell she forced that smile, though._

_"You... Are you serious? You... you forgot?" I just stared at her, completely puzzled._

Argh, sorry for the really short preview! I don't want to give anything away. I probably shouldn't have even bothered putting that preview there. But I did anyway.


	3. II: In Denial

**Author's Notes: **Here is the second chapter! Thanks for reading! I hope this chapter will make people like it more. By the way, I know a lot of this story will be OOC, but there is a good reason behind this! Please understand. It will make sense by the end of this story. I promise!

By the way, you guys are lucky! This is probably going to be one of the longest chapters because I combined two chapters. After the X's, it was originally going to be a new chapter, but I had a feeling, you probably wouldn't want really short chapters, so yeah. I don't like making long chapters, because it's hard work and then I get stuck on what to write. Like right now.

Argh, right now, I'm having a bit of writer's block. I know what I want in my story, I'm just not sure how to gradually get there. I don't want to rush. So, I hope that this story won't seem rushed. And if it is, I'm sorry.

I'd like to thank **ladalada**, **moutainelements**, and **tina1061 **for their reviewing and giving me ideas for the date that's coming up.

So, anyway, I am continuing to accept ideas for my date scene coming up. Please give me some ideas or tell me what you don't want to happen.

**Disclaimer: **I'm fairly certain my name isn't Tachibana Higuchi. I don't know what's going to happen in coming chapters of the manga, which basically means I can't possibly own it. I wish I did, though.

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**Natsume: **Jeez, you talk way too much. You're probably worse than that baka Polka Dots.

**Me: **You're just mad 'cause you and Mikan aren't making out!

**Mikan: **Eh??? Is that true, Natsume!?

**Natsume: **Will you two bakas shut up? You're giving me an unwanted headache.

**Me: **Why did you say, 'unwanted?' Since when are headaches ever wanted? You just added an unnecessary word to make you sound smarter!

**Natsume: **Sure, baka. Just shut up and get on with the story.

**Me: **Hey! I just noticed you didn't deny that you are mad because you guys aren't making out! You avoided the question completely, because you didn't want to embarrass yourself or hurt Mikan's feelings, isn't that right!?

**Natsume: **Shut up already. I think I'm going to die if you say one more word. Here's the baka's story.

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**-Masked Identity-**

**Chapter II: In Denial**

**By: Konnichiwa Minna**

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"Natsume, Natsume…"

I tried to open my eyes. Maybe what previously happened was all just a dream, and I'd wake up to find Ruka holding his bunny, smiling at me.

"NATSUME!"

My eyes shot wide open when I heard that, and landed on a chocolate-haired girl.

"Who are you?" I asked, blunt as ever.

"What are you on about? You must be half asleep still," she said, not answering my question.

"Answer the damn question, woman," I demanded. I like to be straight to the point.

"Mikan." My eyes boggled.

"But, you are taller. You hair is let down. And... you aren't flat anymore."

She bonked me on the head.

"I'm surprised you just noticed. You're a pervert, not to mention, my boyfriend, so I thought you had noticed long ago," she calmly said.

Whoa. What happened to the crazy annoying baka? And why are we older? Wait, did she say I was her boyfriend!? Impossible. I had to admit, I was slightly scared. Where was I? Why was I dressed in high school clothes? What happened to previous years of my life?

"How old are you?" I asked coolly, hiding my worries.

"Wow, maybe you are drunk or something. I'm 16, same as usual. Are you okay?" she asked, worriedly.

I stared at her. And blinked.

"Come on, we're going to be late for class, if you just sit there, staring into space."

"Wait, Polka Dots."

"Polka Dots? You haven't called me that in a while! Usually, you call me what I'm wearing. Maybe for once, you didn't see them," she laughed hard. Then she turned around and lifted the front of her skirt, so that only she could see her underwear.

"Pink Lace today!" she turned back to face me again, giggled, and beamed. Why the hell was she telling me?

She began walking toward me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I did my best not to blush or shout out something in surprise.

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't seem to be… Maybe a kiss will make it better," She whispered into my ear seductively, then pressed her lips against mine.

I pulled back. I was confused. I couldn't lose my cool. I felt bad, though, seeing as I knew Ruka loved her, too. But, I never admitted my feelings. Not to anyone. And so now, I'm really confused. When did Mikan and I start going out? And how? Who confessed? I decided to stop pondering in my thoughts and talk to her honestly.

"Where's Ruka?" I asked seriously. She gasped.

Her bangs covered her eyes as she stared at the ground.

She looked up at me and smiled. I could tell she forced that smile, though.

"You… Are you serious? You… you forgot?" I just stared at her, completely puzzled.

"Listen, I know this is weird, but something strange is happening. It's like a huge gap in my life. As though someone fast-forwarded through time. Just tell me where Ruka is. I have to talk to him. Now."

"Ruka… he… he… h – he passed away. You know that. Please. Stop. Let's not talk about this. You know how much it hurts. It hurts a lot. For both of us," she managed to stutter out. Her eyes were glossy. Tears gently spilled out and slipped down her smooth face.

No.

I couldn't believe it. I refused.

Ruka? Dead?

I couldn't put two and two together. Everything was a mess. I tried to not lose my cool.

Aw, hell! Who cares about being cool! My friend… my best friend… he…

I fell to my knees and broke down in sobs.

"What is happening!?" I yelled in anger and pain. I felt Mikan's hand gently pat my shoulder and she whispered comforting words. I just slapped her hand away and ran. As fast as possible.

I wanted to run from reality.

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**XXXXXXXXXX**

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I sat on my bed staring at the wall. It had been days. And I continued sitting there. I had to force myself to get food and drink, and go washroom, in order not to waste away. Not that it mattered. Ruka was gone. I might as well be, too.

Images of that night kept flashing through my mind. And just as quickly, disappeared. I felt that there remained a gap in my memory of that night, too. I couldn't understand why it happened. Why him? Why not me instead?

I heard a knock at the door. But I remained quiet. Sitting there, emotionless, with no sign of movement to come.

"Natsume, you have to come out sooner or later. Everyone's worried. I'm worried. Please, open the door," Mikan pleaded outside the door.

I just continued sitting still. Making no motion what so ever.

"I brought cookies!" she cooed. I know she was trying to make me feel better, but does she honestly think I would open the door because she brought cookies? Maybe she hadn't changed that much. She was still dense as ever.

Deep down, I knew I couldn't just stay in this position in my room forever. But my mind was being stubborn.

I heard her jiggling the doorknob slightly, and suddenly, the door flung open.

"I, uh, know you hate me using your key unless there's an emergency, but… I think this is pretty important. I think that you're being really stubborn. You need to face your weaknesses eventually. You, of all people, should know that," she lectured.

I grunted. I knew I was being stubborn. But I couldn't help it. Wait, since when does she have a key to my room? I shook my head, ridding of stupid, useless, and unimportant thoughts.

"Cookie?" she offered me. I glared at the cookies, then stared at her. I was about to say something rude, but I looked away and tried to calm myself. She was only trying to help. I kept repeating that in my mind.

She set the cookies on a table, walked over to me, and sat on my bed. She wrapped her arms around me and embraced me tightly.

For the first time in a very long time, I felt relaxed. At peace, suddenly. I felt safe and secure. Though, I'm not completely sure why. Then, before I could think clearly, I spoke.

"I want to see _him_. _His_ grave. _His_ room. Anything of _his_," I practically pleaded. I felt weak. It disgusted me. I never felt so vulnerable before.

Mikan solemnly nodded. She tenderly placed her hand on mine reassuringly. She smiled gently, as she wrapped her fingers around my hand and gave a reassuring squeeze. She stood, and tugged on my hand, as I obediently followed.

It reminded me of the time she brought me onto her roof and told me to sit. I had felt like a dog back then, and, at the moment, I felt like one now.

She led out into the halls. We walked over to the teacher's lounge, she opened the door, and stepped in, motioning for me to follow. She went up to our old teacher, Narumi. I briefly got angry at his sight, but calmed down, remembering that Mikan most likely brought me to him for a reason.

I glanced at her and then at him. Silence engulfed the area for a minute.

Mikan decided to speak up.

"We would like permission to see _him_," Narumi apparently knew who she was referring to as he nodded.

"I suppose that will be allowed. Let me inform the principals regarding this decision. I'm sure they will understand," he replied, seriously. Which shocked me slightly, although I didn't show it.

He left us in the teacher's lounge. It was still quiet. I was surprised by Narumi's reaction. He didn't question it or protest at all. Maybe Mikan informed him earlier that something appeared to be 'wrong' with me.

Minutes later, Narumi entered the room and told us we had permission, but that he had to come with us. It made me wonder where they placed Ruka's grave. It hurt when I though about his… his grave. It made me extremely pissed, upset, and confused. I still couldn't bring myself to believe he actually died.

He began walking out the door, when Mikan grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" she exclaimed.

He halted and stared at her curiously.

"Narumi-sensei, can we please go alone? The head office won't find out, I swear! And, if they do, I will take full responsibility and say that we ran off and you were unable to catch up," she begged and tried to convince him. Quickly, he caved in.

"Fine," he said, heaving a quick sigh. He smiled at her. "Go ahead."

She beamed. I was thankful Jinno wasn't here, because I was pretty sure he would stop us immediately. Strangely enough, he, and all the other teachers, weren't even here. I momentarily wondered where they were, before refocusing on important matters. She turned to me, expectantly, waiting for me to make a move. I gave a quick nod, and walked out the door, Mikan following behind me.

Once we had exited the school building, I turned to her and asked her where his grave was. She simply walked ahead, and told me to follow her. And so I did.

After approximately thirty minutes of walking, we ended up near the barrier of the school, behind the High School, and at the tip of the Northern Woods.

I looked around, noticing it was like a garden. Not scary at all, like I had expected it to be. There were quite a few gravestones, but mostly it was teachers who previously worked here and students who I assumed had Alices that shortened their life every time they used it. Like mine.

I watched as Mikan made her way through the graveyard. She probably has visited him before. Several times, I would imagine.

It was then, that I realized it wasn't a dream. I couldn't turn back time. I'd have to get over it. But the problem was, I missed so many years, I didn't really know who I was now. I wasn't sure if I was still cold and mean towards people or whether I opened up. I didn't know what kind of missions I went on nowadays. I didn't know anything. I was clueless. And I hated it. 

Mikan sat in front of a grave. She put her hands together in prayer and bowed her head. I walked over to where she was a leaned over her slightly to see the stone.

_Ruka Nogi. 11 Years Old. Beloved Son, Student, & Friend. 1990 – 2001._

It hurt. And for the second time, I bawled my eyes out. I didn't remember when I had become so sensitive. It felt as if I wasn't really me. As if, I was watching from above or from a distance. It seems I couldn't control anything anymore. As if someone or something was controlling me. Destiny? Fate? I didn't know for sure, but I sure didn't like the feeling.

Not one bit.

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**Author's Note: **First of all, don't kill me for killing off Ruka! Please! Trust me, I have my story planned out. So, please don't worry or get mad or anything! Please, be patient with me. I told you, I have my reasons for everything.

Also, please tell me it's not too OOC to bear! As I said before, I have my reasons.

Oh, and I'm not sure if you noticed but I made a small reference to my other story, 'Challenges,' when I wrote the sentence, "It reminded me of the time she brought me onto her roof and told me to sit. I had felt like a dog back then, and, at the moment, I felt like one now." So yeah, not sure if anyone noticed, but I just wanted to point that out in case you were confused and went, "Huh, when did he ever feel like a dog?" So, yeah. Oh, and I made a small change in 'Challenges.' The change was that I made them around 11 years old, instead of 15 years old. Not sure if anyone noticed anything like that, but I'm informing you, just in case.

Oh, by the way, the POV is mostly Natsume's, but I think in later chapters that may have to change. I'm not sure yet. In fact, I have no clue how long this story is going to be. But I'm writing them chapter after chapter. But I only post a chapter, once I get quite a few reviews. Reviews are very helpful, whether they're constructive criticism or compliments! Because constructive criticism is helpful for my writing ability and compliments are helpful for my inspiration!

Anyway, enough rambling from me. Hit that review button! I know you want to! XD

_Konnichiwa Minna_


	4. III: The Sakura Tree

**Author's Notes: **Oh, here we are. Third chapter! Aren't you happy!? Sorry about the OOCness. If you read my other chapter, I don't think I need to explain again why it's OOC. Anyway, you probably rather read the story than my ramblings, so here it is. Well, actually, here's the disclaimer, but then there's the story.

**Disclaimer: **Hmm, does anyone actually read these? I do when I read people's stories. In fact I read everything. Sometimes even review responses if there are some. Anyway, I suppose I should spit it out already. Or type it out, rather. Argh. I'm rambling again. I do NOT own Gakuen Alice. That's only in my dreams.

Thanks again to **ladalada**, **mountainelements**, and **tina1061 **for reviewing.

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**Natsume: **Get on with the story, baka.

**Me: **Eh? Who are you calling a baka? My average is 89 percent. Do you still think I'm stupid?

**Natsume: **Yes.

**Me: **Argh! You're so mean and unsupporting! Maybe I will make Mikan pair up with Ruka instead!

**Natsume: **Uh huh. How are you going to accomplish that?

**Me: **Riiiight… Forgot about that… well, there are plenty of other characters! How 'bout Yuu!?

**Yuu: **I'm not even in this story… .

**Hotaru: **-BAKA! BAKA! BAKA!- Where am I? Shouldn't I be earning more money in this story?

**Me: **Owie! That hurt! Anyway, don't worry, I'll try to fit you guys in somewhere! But first, Natsume has something to say to all the wonderful readers out there! Don't you?

**Natsume: **Baka, just shut up.

**Me: **Translation: On with the story!

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**-Masked Identity-**

**Chapter III: The Sakura Tree**

**By: Konnichiwa Minna**

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Rain poured harshly. There was thunder and lightning. It seems the weather reflected my emotions. Angry and upset.

Once again I was reminded of the day we sat on the roof. I'm not sure why I keep remembering that day, but I do anyway. It was special, I guess. I felt I had learned a little bit more about Mikan.

I had been thinking a lot these past few days. I had thought about Ruka. I knew I had to move on.

"_Everyone's worried. I'm worried."_

Those words echoed through my head. Were people actually worried? I guess so. After all, Mikan's a terrible liar.

I need to get over the sadness. If I give up now, where will that leave Mikan and others? I want to protect them, but all I'm doing isn't worrying them. I've decided, I will not make the same mistakes again. I will protect my friends. Without fail. That's what Ruka would want. I know it. Ruka wouldn't want me sulking and being a burden. I want to make Ruka proud of me. I want to make him smile. I have a feeling that he's up there watching me. So, I will do my best.

I sat up in my bed, and rubbed my eyes.

Groggily, I slipped my feet out of the covers and onto the floor. I made my way to my kitchen and made myself a proper breakfast.

After getting ready, I made my way to the door. I stood there for a second. I told myself that I was going to school no matter what. It was too late to give up or stop now. I would make a fresh start. I missed out on a lot of time. I messed up a lot. Made mistakes. It was time to fix everything. I needed to do my best from now on and make sure Mikan is happy and safe, as well as all my other friends.

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-In class-

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I looked around my new classroom. I had trouble finding it, but it didn't matter that I was late. As long as I attended and made her stop worrying.

Everyone gasped. I suppose they were surprised to see me, seeing as I had skipped many days. I hadn't really kept track, but it had probably been two weeks that I had spent moping in my room.

"Natsume-kun!"

"NATSUME!"

"Natsume!"

"NATSUME-KUN!"

Damn, could those stupid fangirls be anymore louder or annoying!? I wonder if they know Mikan is my girlfriend?

I took a seat at the back, where Mikan happened to be sitting. I didn't really sit there to be with Mikan. I just liked the back, especially since it was away from most of the stupid fangirls and the stupid teacher.

Mikan seemed slightly confused and shocked to see me, but her face quickly shone and she beamed brightly, eyes sparkling. I felt kind of glad to know she was happy again, even though she would probably start being an annoying idiot.

She opened her mouth and was probably about to start speaking, but she stopped because the teacher walked in. Everyone was silent. I wondered if this teacher was really that bad. I decided to test it.

"So, who's this old hag?" I questioned. She wasn't that old, but I called her that anyway to see her reaction. My question earned a few giggles and snickers.

Surprisingly, she smiled.

"Messing about again, eh? Well, at least now I know you're feeling better," she snapped her ruler against the desk hard, making most of the class jump, gasp, or squeal in surprise. Hmm, seems like this teacher is a real bitch.

I got up and walked out the classroom door, ignoring the teacher's protests, and everyone's gasps and whispers.

I walked to and slumped against the Sakura tree. I felt slightly relieved to know it was still there. I felt my eyes get heavy and I gave in to a peaceful slumber.

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**Author's Notes: **I'm sorry!! I feel like this chapter will disappoint you. I hope it doesn't, though... Anyway, I noticed all my chapters seem to end up short! I do try to make them longer! But, sometimes I can't help it! I end at the opportune moment. Umm, maybe next chapter will be longer… hopefully! I don't like short chapters that much either, but it's hard to make them long because I always end up deciding that a certain place is a good place to stop! Anyway, enough rambling! I hope this wasn't too OOC! I told you, there's a reason, so no need to be upset or anything. By the way, I am making this up as I go along, so I hope it's not too bad! I have the main plot and ideas but I haven't figured out how to write it or how to get there. I'm trying my best though!

Anyway, reviews will make me post the next chapter faster! I already have it typed. In fact, by the time I post this and you read it, I will probably have finished chapter 5! But, that doesn't mean I'm going to post them right away. I'm hoping that I will get around 5 reviews for this chapter before I update. I doubt I will, though. -Sighs-

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review on your way out!

_Konnichiwa Minna_

**Edit: **I'm having writer's block for this story. Currently, I'm on chapter 6, which should be the date chapter. Maybe a few more ideas would be helpful. I don't want to rush the date or drag it on, though. I need Natsume and Mikan to slowly fall in love again before I can even begin thinking of writing the ending.

**Important: **I have written another chapter in 'Challenges,' except it's in Natsume's POV. I suggest you read it so that you can understand future situations in this story! Also, when you read it, please review! No one reviewed for that chapter, so I'm not sure if I did it okay or not...


	5. IV: Nightmares

**Author's Notes: **Oh look! It's chapter four! Haha. Did you miss me? I think this chapter will be longer. I certainly hope so! Beware of OOCness. It's bound to happen. Because, as I've said before, there's a good reason. You will have to wait patiently to find out that reason, though.

**Disclaimer: **Yeah… I don't really own Gakuen Alice. I hope that didn't ruin your hopes and dreams of suing me.

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**Me: **Heehee. All the characters are trying to escape my Author's Notes Dungeon. But I will not allow such unthinkable behaviour!

**Natsume: **Damn you, ugly.

**Me: **Who do you think you're calling ugly!?

**Natsume: **You.

**Yuu: **Um, excuse me, but… ah… what did I do?

**Me: **I think he meant you. As in, 'Y-O-U,' not Yuu, as in, 'Y-U-U.' Natsume isn't _that_ mean… I don't think. Well, he is to me and Mikan, but somehow I doubt he'd say that to you, Yuu.

**Yuu: **I see…

-Awkward silence-

**Me: **Ahehehe. –sweatdrop- Let's get on with the story, shall we?

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**-Masked Identity-**

**Chapter IV: Nightmares**

**By: Konnichiwa Minna**

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I opened my eyes.

Darkness. A shadowy figure.

The shadowy figured began walking toward me.

"You failed your last mission. You lack concentration," he punched me.

Persona. Damn him. I didn't care whether he was happy with me. He wasn't important.

But then, another shadowy figure walked up to me.

"How could you? You watched me die and forgot about me. You didn't tell me you were suffering all the time because of your Alice. You didn't trust me. You didn't care about me. You even went out with _her_. Even though you knew I had feelings for her."

Ruka… Ruka… His words pained me. I began bleeding. Coughing up blood. Why is my best friend angry with me?

"You were always cold to me, insulted me, and pissed me off. You only cared about yourself. You're selfish. Disgusting."

M – Mikan? Even you…

I hated myself.

Suicide seemed like a coward's way out. But I couldn't handle this pain. I was weak. I hadn't deserved to live. It should've been me that died on that day.

Suddenly, my Alice seemed to have a mind of its own. It instinctively began burning my flesh. I howled and yelled in pain.

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**XXXXXXXXXX**

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"…Sume?"

"Natsume?"

"NATSUME!?"

My eyes shot open. I breathed heavily and beads of sweat trickled down my face. I looked around me. No fire. My eyes landed on Mikan. She was still sixteen. So only part of it was a dream. I had wished it was all a dream.

But luck never seemed to be on my side.

"Natsume, are you okay? You've been acting really strange recently. I mean I'm used to you ditching class. But why didn't you tell me? You always tell me that you're going to leave and you tell me where you're going. It seems like you've gone back to being a ten-year-old. Truthfully, I wouldn't mind that. But at least warn me that you're changing, or something. It was unexpected and it kind of worried me. Can you tell me what's on you're mind?"

I knew this moment was going to come sooner or later. Too bad it happened now.

I carefully explained to her my situation. Everything. From the night Ruka died being my last memory, to the fact that I didn't know who I was or how I acted now. I told her that I didn't understand why I skipped five years of my life. I said that I needed to start over. Act like I did when I was 11 and slowly fall in love with her. I wasn't mentally prepared for the relationship.

Amazingly, she understood everything and nodded. She looked a little baffled, but believed me nonetheless. She agreed to acting like we were 11 again, and to take our relationship at a slower pace. She said she would let me insult her and that she would complain and whine a little more. We knew it would be strange, but it was better than being awkward around each other.

After our chat, we just stared up at the sky. Our backs rested against the Sakura tree. We felt the cool breeze brush our faces. It was peaceful. For some reason I remembered that day again. I wondered why it was so important. Maybe we shared some unsaid feelings, but were unaware of it. Whatever the reason, I still kept remembering that day we sat on her roof.

Eventually, I fell asleep. Again.

_I stared up at the midnight sky. It was tiring. I needed to hurry up and finish the mission before I completely ran out of energy._

_It seems luck wasn't on my side._

_Swiftly, enemies surrounded me._

_I began burning them and fighting them, despite my fatigue._

_Out of the corner of my eye I spotted him. Ruka. What the hell was he doing here?_

_As my eyes travelled I noticed a gun. And someone holding it. Pointing it right at Ruka. Bastard._

_As quickly as possible, I jumped over to Ruka and jumped in front of the bullet that had just come out of the gun._

_The bullet pierced __through __**MY**__ chest._

_My eyes grew heavy and slowly shut. I was dead before I hit the ground._

I woke up, panting heavily. What was going on? Why did I die in my dream? What was with all these crazy dreams? Were they trying to tell me something?

Nah, it was some stupid dream. Dreams don't really mean anything.

I looked beside me, and saw an angel fast asleep. Well, not an angel…

Mikan rubbed her eyes, opened them, then looked straight at me.

"What's wrong? It looks like you went through hell and died," she joked, giggling. My eyes widened slightly. That basically _is_ what happened in my dream.

I shook my head slightly. I felt strange. A weird feeling swarmed within me. I rubbed my eyes and told Mikan that I was going to go wash my face. She smiled, nodded, and lay back down.

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**XXXXXXXXXX**

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"Feeling better?" she asked, beaming.

"Yeah."

"Hey, I know! Let's go on a date, Natsume! Wouldn't that be fun!?" she laughed.

"Not with you, Polka Dots," I replied casually.

"Hey! You don't mean that!" she whined back, pouting.

I chuckled ever-so-slightly. "Fine."

"Really!?" her eyes went wide and she looked extremely excited.

"If you don't hurry, I'll change my mind."

"Where are we going? Ooh, let's go to the Howalon shop in Central Town! Pretty please!!" she gave me two big round puppy eyes. Damn, seems like she was still able to act cute even at 16 years old.

I sighed, giving in. I walked ahead, while she stood there, gushing over Howalon and Central Town.

"Hey, wait! Don't leave me, you big meanie!" she yelled and began running to catch up to me.

I felt a surge a hope. Maybe things would be able to return to normal. Well, as close to 'normal' as things could get, here, at Alice Academy.

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**Author's Note: **Lol, is it just me, or is there a lot of dreams in this chapter? Natsume must be very sleepy!

Well, anyway, this _was _going to be longer, but then I decided to cut out their date. The next chapter will be their fluffy date! (**Edit: **Their date has been moved to chapter six) I hope you look forward to it! (Once again, I apologize for OOCness. I repeat, I'm sorry!)

Also, I'm having a hard time being serious lately! So, that's part of my reason for writer's block in this story. I want to continue and make it in character, unlike my parodies. So, forgive me if I update later from now on. Maybe I'll get back into the romantic writing soon. Hopefully.

Anyway, good? Bad?

Review, please, and let me know!

_Konnichiwa Minna_

**-X- My lovely advertisement. :D Check out my other fics. I know you want to. -X-**


	6. V: Howalon & Hotaru

**Author's Notes: **Tada! It's the fluffy date chapter (or at least part of it...)! Chapter five! I hope that it won't be too cliché or OOC! So yeah, you know the drill. Read and review!

**Disclaimer: **Wait, you didn't think that I actually owned Gakuen Alice, did you? If I did, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't waste my efforts on Fanfiction, when I could be actually making more manga chapters.

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**Natsume: **Wow, ugly wrote somewhat short Author's Notes for once...

**Youichi: **Ugly. Old hag.

**Me: **NATSUME! What _are _you teaching this poor child!? By the way, I'm not incapable of writing short Author's Notes, I just prefer not to.

**Natsume: **Liar.

**Me: **That's it! I'm ignoring you from now on! Hmph. I can't hear you. Lalalalalalalala.

**Natsume: **I'm burning your hair.

**Me: **WHAT!? Wait a second! My hair isn't on fire, you liar! ... Hey, that rhymed!

**Natsume: **I thought you were ignoring me.

**Me: **Wha… I… ARGH! Fine, I won't ignore you, but I will ignore your insults!

**Natsume: **Mhm, sure you will, ugly baka.

(Yelling and screaming can be heard, coming from the authoress.)

**Hotaru: **Because you are here, in this territory, reading this story, you will have to pay many Rabbits. 5000 Rabbits, to be exact. I will send a bill to each and every one of you.

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**-Masked Identity-**

**Chapter V: Howalon & Hotaru**

**By: Konnichiwa Minna**

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Once we arrived at Central Town, Mikan began acting giddy and her eyes were sparkling from excitement.

Even after five years, she still was the same.

"Let's go to the Howalon shop!"

We walked over to the shop, and surprisingly, she asked for the smallest box. Was she really that poor still?

Anyway, I felt sort of bad, because she was poor and I knew she'd share it with me, so I decided to treat her.

She protested, but I handed the guy who worked there the money, before she could do anything about it. I walked away with the box in my hand.

"You coming, Polka Dots?" She had been drooling over all the boxes of Howalon, and when she heard me, she looked around, only to notice me missing. Her eyes travelled around a little longer and landed on me. She ran toward me. Boy, is she slow.

"I can't believe you left me! And with the Howalon, too! Give me some of that!" she demanded, trying to grab the box, but I held it out of her reach. She began jumping and attempting to grab it from me some more, but still failed.

I smirked, brought down the box to my level, opened it, and took a piece. I held it in my hand, watching her intently stare at it with stars in her eyes. I grinned evilly, and plopped it in my mouth. She pouted and began trying to grab the box from me again.

This went on for a while, until I finally felt sorry for her, when her stomach growled very noisily.

I gave her a piece of Howalon.

"If you were hungry, you should have said so, baka."

I began walking toward an expensive restaurant, deciding to treat her, because she was helping me a lot and always worrying about me. I wanted her to enjoy this date.

I kept my mouth shut, not saying where I was going, and she followed. Surprisingly, she followed in silence. I looked out of the corner of my eye, and noticed her blushing. Maybe she was still a kid at heart and she had been acting grown up for me, for some unknown reason.

I felt her come closer toward me, and she sort of nudged my hand a couple times. I took it as a hint that she wanted to hold hands, so I grabbed her hand and gave a light squeeze.

She became a darker shade of red and looked away. It was awkward, but we stayed in that position anyway.

Seeing her so shy, I began wondering whether she was faking it or not. Before, she spoke seductively and kissed me. Now, she's embarrassed holding my hand? Something was strange.

"Hey, Polka Dots, why were you acting strange before?"

"Hmm?" She looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Well, when I woke up and didn't know who you were, you acted strange. You weren't childish at all. And you kissed me."

Leave it to me to be so straightforward. She was blushing and stuttering so much, that I couldn't understand a word she was saying. I removed my hand from hers and placed both hands on her shoulders to turn her so she would be facing me.

"Slow down. I didn't catch a word of that, baka."

"Uh, well, you see, when we started dating, you asked me to be, uh, less shy. I don't really know why. M – M – Maybe you were shy, too, uh, and thought our relationship wouldn't work if neither of us did anything. O – Or maybe you found it more fun that way," she began. "Anyway, because you, um, asked me to, I agreed. To be honest, I wasn't completely comfortable, but you didn't seem to notice. In fact, for the past five years, you were acting kind of strange. As if you weren't even there at the time… And by what you've told me so far, it sounds like you weren't… Ah, b – but, I didn't mind too much about acting that way. Because… you seemed happy with it at the time. A – A – Anyway, it's sort of a relief being my original self again."

I watched her giggle nervously and wave her arms about wildly, and I made a small (very, very small) smile. So small, you couldn't notice it.

I turned around and continued walking.

"Hey, wait up! You asked me why I was acting different, now it's my turn!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean! You bawled your eyes out! Twice! That's definitely not like the Natsume I know! What happened to your cold emotionless mask? Hm?"

"Baka. He was my best friend. He still is. Besides, I didn't have a choice... I couldn't control myself. It's hard to explain."

"Hmm, so your emotions finally managed to take over you. And here I thought that you were calm, cool, and collected," she attempted a smirk, then giggled a bit.

"That's not what I meant. I can control my feelings very well. But at that moment, it was like someone or something was controlling me. I didn't have a choice. Hn. You won't understand," I said darkly and turned away.

Damn, why am I always such a jerk? I let out a sigh.

I felt a tug on my arm, and turned to find her with a determined look in her eyes. I thought she would've been angry. Women. I'll never understand them.

"You know, you should open up to me a little. I know it's hard, but you need someone to turn to, now that he's gone. You can trust me. Tell me anything. I want to help you. We should carry both our burdens and feelings together. Especially since Ruka _and_ Hotaru are gone."

I silently gasped. Hotaru? What happened to her? What did Mikan mean by that? I'm sort of afraid to ask, but I decided I needed to find out sooner or later. Plus, she was saying we should carry each other burdens and feelings, so if something happened to her friend, then I would help in any way possible.

"Imai's gone? Where?" Damn, way to go idiot. I was supposed to ask gently and in a caring way. That came out as a normal question. God, I hope nothing's happened to her for Mikan's sake.

"She's…"

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**Author's Notes: **Cliffie! Oh no! (That was a cliffie... right?)

How come every time I write a chapter, I end up not putting in what was planned? -Sigh- Oh well.

For sure, the next chapter is the date chapter! I guarantee it!

Oh, and I hope I got rid of some OOCness. It was bugging me slightly. If not, it doesn't really make a difference, because… oops, I almost gave a spoiler. Ohoho. Mustn't do that, eh?

Oh, and I have a question. What does Natsume call Hotaru? Does he call her Imai? I wasn't sure, so I just wrote Imai…

Anyway, even though it wasn't the date chapter, I hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Review, please!

**Oops! Last chapter, I forgot to thank the reviewers for reviewing chapter 3. So, here is your publicity. A big wonderful thank you to:**

- ladalada

- animeangel95

- taintedtears101

- jazzflame

**And for reviewing chapter 4, I would like to thank:**

- mountainelements

- ladalada

- CuteGurlygal07

**All you reviewers mean so much to me! I hope you will stick with me to the end!**

**:D**

_Konnichiwa Minna_


	7. AN Story Discontinued

**A/N: **I'm extremely sorry about this. This story is discontinued now. Why? Because it wasn't planned at all. I lost inspiration. And I completely forgot about it. Plus it's badly written and confusing. So I'm sorry to anyone who actually liked it (if there was anyone). Please don't be mad.


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